Need for Speed Undercover... uncovered

Speaking at the William Blair & Company Growth Stock Conference in Chicago yesterday, EA CEO John Riccitiello announced that the next instalment in its popular street racing series Need for Speed will be dubbed ‘Undercover’, GameSpot reports.

However, following previous comments in which the outspoken executive admitted to disappointment concerning the quality of 2007’s Need for Speed: ProStreet, Riccitiello also confirmed that the franchise is moving from its current 12 month development cycle to a 24 month cycle.

"We were torturing a very talented group of people up in Vancouver, which makes it harder to be as innovative every year," Riccitiello stated. "I'm confident that Undercover is a much better game than ProStreet, and I expect that from this point forward that we'll do a lot better."

Other announcements included a Q1 2009 release for BioWare’s Dragon Age and Pandemic’s Saboteur, as well as the confirmation that Godfather II is in development.

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.